Notebook Maintenance

The better care you take of laptop, the longer it will last and you will stay more productive with less downtime due to problems.

1. Clean Hard Drive
Over the course of a month it is easy to accumulate a lot of unnecessary files on laptop hard drive. Take the time once a month to go through  hard drive and examine the files there. Determine which should be saved elsewhere for future reference and which can be trashed. If you download programs on a regular basis to try new things or just to have access to new programs for projects, properly un-install those programs when no longer needed. A cleaner hard drive runs smoother.

2. Defrag Hard Drive
Defragging hard drive is another step to ensuring laptop will run more efficiently. Taking the time to defrag once a month will allow programs to run more quickly and make better use of the space on hard drive. When you defrag laptop hard drive on a monthly basis you should notice fewer software crashes or freeze ups and programs will run better.

3. Keep Laptop Clean
Cleaning laptop helps prevent overheating and those nasty dust bunnies from building up inside laptop fans and exposed ports. Cleaning the screen also means you'll always view data clearly and it's much easier on the eyes. Keeping case free of dust and dirt buildup will help laptop by preventing that dirt from getting inside the laptop.

4. Full Back-Up
Full back-ups should be conducted on a monthly basis and you should have a secure, fire-proof location to store back-up. There are a variety of software and hardware options available. You should chose the method that is easy and can be done without fuss on a monthly basis. It may require trying different methods before you find the best back-up system for needs.

5. Software Updates
Just as you keep anti-virus and firewall software up-to-date, you should also keep software programs updated. For many programs the updates will address security issues which help keep laptop and data protected while on the road.